Time to Dance
by amberxxalert
Summary: Bella has one more secret that she forgot to mention. She thought it was over, so she didn't want anyone to know. What happens when it comes back? Tragedy strikes, and the wheel of fate turns. Is the story over, or is it just beginning? AFTER NM::R
1. Chapter One: The Bitter Truth

**Disclaimer:** I was not blessed with this genius idea before Mrs. Meyer. Therefore, I do not own any of this material.

**Chapter One: The Bitter Truth**

I was waiting for her outside of her front door. She was a little late, and it got me worried. The cruiser wasn't there, so I new I wouldn't run into Charlie if I knocked. I went up to the door and knocked softly. No answer. I tapped a little harder, and still, nothing. I was getting more nervous by the second, so I just went through her window. There was no one in there. I checked all over the house, and no one was there either.

I was confused and more than a little disappointed. I got back in the Volvo and made my way home. Then it dawned on me: What if something awful has happened to her? I started driving faster and faster to the house. Alice would know something.

When I pulled up she was already bounding down the porch stairs. I opened up the car door and intercepted her.

"Alice. What's going on?" I asked frantically. She was dry sobbing and it looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Bella—," she paused, "I didn't know! I didn't see it, I swear!" she cried in such speed any human was hopeless against understanding.

"What's happened?!"

"We need to get to the hospital. Now." She was pulling at my arm and I followed willingly to the car. I was too shocked by the surprise on Alice's face to argue. Besides, the sooner to get to my Bella, the better.

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As soon as we were in view of the hospital, I made a run for it. I left Alice to find a parking spot as I couldn't make it fast enough to the entrance. I couldn't take it that I didn't know what was going on. Too many possibilities were rushing through my mind. I listened around for Carlisle or anyone who knew the whereabouts of Bella. I found Carlisle first, and he told me that she was in room five eighty-two.

I ran a little faster than I should have with all these humans around, but I didn't care. I just needed to get to that room. I busted through the door to find my angel lying on the gurney and hooked up to about a million little wires. When she saw me come in she smiled weakly.

"Bella. What happened?" I went to her and put my hand to her cheek. She was burning up with fever.

"I'm sorry Edward. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. It's just that I thought it was gone," she cried softly. Just then, Alice walked in and sat in the chair beside the bed.

"Didn't tell me what? Thought what was gone?" I was trying so hard to listen to the minds around me to hear it from them, but I was in too much distress to concentrate right now.

"Five years ago," she sighed, "I was diagnosed with leukemia, but three years ago, at my check up, they said it was gone. I would have been going in for another check up next year, but I didn't think I'd have to worry about it. Then, this morning, I woke up with a really high fever and I just kept getting sicker and sicker. When we came to the hospital they said the cancer was back. But, right now, I need to talk to Alice. This is very important, Edward. She'll come get you when we're done. Okay?"

"Okay…I—I'll be right outside if you need me," I said in an off tone. I kissed her forehead and went to stand in the hall. I was still close enough that I could hear what they were saying, so I listened in on their conversation.

"—can't tell Edward about this. Before you read this, you have to swear to me that you will close your mind off to him whenever you read this letter, or even think about it for that matter. This is very important, Alice. He can't know, alright?"

"Okay, I swear. He won't find out." And as soon as she said those words the room went silent. I tried listening in on Alice's thoughts, but her head was as silent as the room.

About fifteen minutes later I heard Alice speak. "Are you sure about all this, Bells? I mean, this is…wow."

"I'm completely sure. You have to believe me. You just have to," Bella pleaded.

"I believe you. I do. This is just so strange," she laughed her musical laugh and continued, "I never knew you had it in you, Bella." Bella laughed then, too.

"Will you please tell Edward to stop eavesdropping and come in here?"

"Of course," Alice giggled. Just then she opened the door and stuck her head out, "You heard the lady."

I rushed into the room and took the love of my life by the hand.

"Edward—," she began to speak, but I interrupted her.

"Don't worry, Bella. We'll get you the best treatment money can buy. We'll get through this."

"No, Edward. I only have about a day."

I was so confused that I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. "What do you mean you only have a day?"

"I'm too sick to do anything about it, Edward. My time is up."

"Don't say that. I'm not going to let you die."

"You have to. There's nothing you can do."

"Yes there is." I knew exactly what I could do. I never wanted to have to do this to her, but I was going to let her make a decision. I couldn't lose her. If this is what it took to keep her with me then this is what would have to be done. I looked at Alice, and she had a look of shock and happiness on her face, "Can you see what's going to happen if I do it?"

She went utterly silent for a moment, her face went blank, and then confused when she came back. "I can't see anything." Her answer confused me, too, but I took it that that meant that nothing bad would happen.

"Bella," she opened her eyes, for she had drifted off to sleep. I whispered in her ear, "Do you want to live forever?"

She looked at me in shock and then realized what I meant. She smiled as wide as she could and said, "Yes!...But how is it going to work? Alice said it took three days, and I only have one," she asked confusedly.

"I don't know, but Alice didn't see anything going wrong. I think it will work. But I don't want you to do this if you don't want to," I said severely. I didn't want her to regret this for the rest of her life, so I was asking her again.

"There's nothing I want more in the world," she said just as seriously.

"Good," I smiled. I was so happy that I couldn't help but to kiss her more passionately than I ever had before. She smiled up at me and then I thought of something, "Now we need to think of a way to get her out of the hospital."

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I went to Carlisle and told him about our plan. He didn't think that it would work since she only had a limited amount of time left, but I told him that Alice didn't see anything bad happening. That was at least the truth. She didn't see anything happening, so she technically didn't see anything bad happening either. He agreed to help us get her to our home. He signed her release form and asked Charlie to let her stay with us so Carlisle could take better care of her. He told him that, if anything went wrong that he couldn't treat, we lived closer to the hospital so we could get her there faster. I went to Bella as soon as it was taken care of.

"Bella, honey, you're coming home with us," I said pointedly. She smiled up at me, and I took her from the bed and relocated her to the wheelchair waiting for her in the hallway.

I rolled her down the hall and out through the automatic doors to freedom. When we made it to the mansion I knew that there would be more to think about and plan before we could do any kind of changing. I also knew that we'd have to do it fast, because Bella didn't have that much time left. I helped her into the back seat of Carlisle's Mercedes and went to sit next to her on the other side while Carlisle came to sit in the driver's seat. Alice took the Volvo and we all sped off towards the house.

"Sleep now, Bells. I love you."

"I love you, too," she mumbled and fell into unconsciousness.

We were home in less than an hour, and I jumped out with Bella in my arms. At the front door I found a terrified-looking Esme and my solemn-looking brothers and sister. I raced past them and laid the other half of my soul on the couch. By the time I'd turned around, everyone was in the room.

"Okay, before we do this we need to talk about what's going to happen," Carlisle's voice rang, full of authority.

"Alright, I'm going to change her tonight. It's the only way," I informed my family.

"Are you sure _you_ want to do it? I don't want anything to happen that you'll regret, and Carlisle can do it without problem," Esme tried to convince me.

"No. She told me that what she wanted most in the world was for me to do it. She's going to have anything she wants. I'll do it. I can do it," I'm sure I sounded more like I was convincing my self than everyone else, but that's only because I was. I had to assure myself that I wouldn't hurt her.

"Okay then. What's the story going to be. It will be too suspicious if she just disappears," Jasper chimed in.

"Well, we could tell everyone that she died, obviously. When we take her body back to the hospital, Carlisle can take care of all the details like the autopsy and things that only a doctor could do. They'll have the funeral and she'll get buried. A few days later we'll go and get her out. Take her somewhere…Like Denali. We can just tell her to play dead, I guess," Alice shrugged.

"That'll work," Emmett nodded.

"Okay, so that's the plan. Where should we do this?" I asked Carlisle.

"Here is fine. Rosalie, will you go get about three blankets and as many pillows as you can carry?" Carlisle instructed.

"Sure," she grumbled. I knew Rosalie wasn't exactly keen to the idea of us turning Bella, but this wasn't just throwing away her life. She wouldn't have a life after tomorrow if we didn't do this. She was back in a matter of seconds with the blankets and about twelve pillows. Alice spread out two of the blankets over the hardwood floors and arranged the pillows on the side. I picked Bella up and laid her gently on the makeshift bed.

"Bella? This is your last chance. Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked once more.

"Just bite me," she grumbled. I laughed a little and proceeded with telling her the plan.

"You probably won't remember this when you're done changing, so I'm going to tell you again then. But, when you're done changing, we're going to take you to the hospital and Carlisle is going to pronounce you dead. You're going to have to pretend to be dead until they lower your closed casket into the ground. We'll come back for you in about two days and then we'll go somewhere where no one will find us. Do you understand?"

She looked at me determinedly and nodded her head yes. Carlisle then showed me the places where I should bite her to make the transformation as quick and painless as possible. The first place I bit her was on her right wrist and then the left. Next was at the jugular. And lastly, right above her heart.

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She sounded like she was in so much pain that I was willing to do anything to take it away. What had I done to her? Not only had I almost killed her, because I might not have been able to stop, but I had put her in agonizing pain. Jasper was able to help a little by putting her to sleep, but it only held off the screaming for about an hour. All through the night and all through the next day I was sure that her pain would kill me. I hated seeing her in so much anguish. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. She deserved to have everything good in life, but all she was getting right now was torture and I was the cause of it. I held her hand every minute of the day and through all hours of the next night. It was day three. This should be the last day, and then we'll have forever to be together. The pain will stop tonight, and I'll never have to hear her screams of pain again. I was thankful for that. Soon her pain would end.

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It was one thirty in the morning; over six hours since the transformation should have been complete. She screamed louder now than she had the entire time. She screamed and thrashed and kicked and twisted in the floor and then it happened. Her heart stopped beating, and she became utterly calm and silent. She opened her eyes and they were the color of crimson, so deep and bright.

She looked over at me and smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. It was over and now we had forever to be together.

I took her downstairs and everyone stared at us with wide eyes.

"What?" she asked them. Alice came over and escorted her to the nearest mirror. Now it was her that was shocked into silence. I hadn't even really looked at her yet, so I took her in from her head to her toes. She was even more beautiful than before.

Her hair was soft, smooth, and shiny. Her face was perfectly proportioned. She had a perfect hourglass figure, and a devastatingly beautiful smile. She came over to me and wrapped her arms around my torso. I followed her lead and did the same.

"You know we have to go now. They'll get suspicious," Jasper said.

Bella looked at me with confusion and I explained to her again how we had to fake her death. She looked kind of weary, but she said she understood.

Carlisle and I took her out to the car and loaded her in. When we got to the hospital we rushed her in and put her in a wheelchair we found nearby. It was then that she closed her eyes and stopped breathing. She played dead very well. Her face looked lifeless and every single one of her muscles were relaxed. I probably would be freaking out for real if I didn't know that this was all a hoax.

I went with Carlisle as they rushed her into the emergency room. They pronounced her dead on arrival, and sent her straight to the morgue. I followed Carlisle in as he went to supposedly do the autopsy. When the coast was clear I went to wake her from her fake slumber.

"Bella, sweetie you can stop pretending for now. No one's in here but Carlisle and me," I said while giving her a tiny shake. She didn't move. Her body laid still as ever, and her eyes didn't flutter open, "Carlisle, what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," he said to me, and then turned to Bella, "Bella? Can you hear me? Bella? Bella?" Nothing. Not even a mumble or a groan.

"But she can't die. She's already changed!" I yelled. This could not be happening. She went through the transformation, she suffered the pain, and she came out immortal. How could she just _die_?

"I don't know, Edward. Apparently something went wrong…I'm so sorry," he apologized.

"No! I won't let it be true. It can't be! I lost her once, and it's not going to happen again," I said while shaking her more urgently now, "Bella? You wake, you hear me? Wake up!" I sobbed tearless sobs into her shoulder blade. We were so close to being happy. Why couldn't fate just let us be? It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve to die, and I didn't deserve to live after what I'd done to her. I pleaded with her lifeless body, but nothing came of it except the gut-wrenching wound in my chest that I'd felt when I left her not but seven months ago. My life was over. I couldn't take the loss of my one true love a second time around.

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**Author's Note:** Chapter one complete! Haha. Yeah. I had this brilliant idea a few months ago, but it led to dead ends in the beginning. Today I had another brilliant idea, and this one has more of a story to it. Keep reading to find out what happens next! **REVIEW PLEASE!** Thanks again for reading. Updates soon.


	2. Chapter Two: Time to Make a Change

**Disclaimer:** This is definitely NOT owned by me. I am truly sorry for that. But, oh well. -

**Chapter Two: Time to Make a Change**

I could feel the wounds, from what felt like centuries ago, open up. They ripped at the seams and burned with a strength that not even the strongest vampire could top. I couldn't breathe. Even though it was impossible, I still felt as though I was suffocating. No one deserved to suffer like this. No one except me. It was my fault that I couldn't save her. It was my fault that she was dead, and now I was paying for my unjustifiable crime. I didn't curse the pain. I let it come, knowing that I deserved every bit of it. Bella was the undeserving one. She was undeserving of all the pain I'd caused her, all the trouble, all the heartbreak. She was so wonderful, and I took it all away from her: life, love, happiness. All of it was gone. For me and my angel.

I didn't deserve to continue living, and I didn't want to either. Maybe if I ceased to exist then I could find my dearest in the afterlife. I didn't believe that last thought since I was going to Hell and she most certainly wasn't, but at least there was a chance. I could only dream. The agony I was suffering now would be worse than any other punishment I'd ever gotten, ever _would_ get.

I felt as though something were digging out my insides slowly and painfully. There were pieces missing without her. I wasn't whole. That's what was being taken from me right now: my better half, _her_.

Why was she taken from me? It wasn't fair! They should have taken me, should've let _her_ live. I had lived my share of lives, and I didn't deserve any more. She hadn't even gotten to live her life. Hers was cut off so short-lived and abruptly. I wanted her back. I wanted her back _now_. And this pain was even worse than the first time. The first time I at least knew that she was safe and could move on with her life. Now all I know is that she's not here. My life was…_empty_.

I now knew what I had to do. I couldn't continue living. Not when she didn't even get a chance. I'd—

"Edward! No, you can't!" Alice shrieked from behind me, interrupting my breakdown.

"Why not? There's no point in life now." She may not be able to read my mind, but she sure could see the future. And I knew what she'd see when she looked into mine: nothing. I had no future. No point in life. Everything that mattered was taken from me, Bella was gone forever.

"This," she answered, "This is why not." She handed me a folded piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"It's from Bella. She wrote it before, when she thought that she was going to die," she explained.

I stared at her blankly and then looked at the tiny square in my hands. This was all I had left of her. It hurt me to look at it, but, in her head, Alice told me _Read it._

I unfolded it carefully, and took my time. I was frightened of what would be on the page. But I didn't pay that thought any attention as it read:

_My dearest Edward,_

_You have done nothing this past year or so but make my life the most wonderful it could have ever been. I can do nothing but thank you now. I wish we could have had more time together, but, unfortunately, we can't. This is it for me. The end of the line. I didn't think it would end this way, but I guess I was wrong. The way things were going lately I just figured I would just get torn to pieces by a sadistic vampire, or something to that extent. But that's not important. What really matters right now is that you know that I love you. I will always love you. You seem to think that you ruined my life, but I disagree completely. When I was first diagnosed, the doctors told me to live what was left of my life to the fullest. With you, I did just that. I couldn't have asked for more. As for all of those silly little things that you think I should never forgive you for? Too late. They're already forgiven. They were forgiven the moment they happened. I understood why you did most of them, and I appreciated the effort. You were doing everything you could to keep me alive and well. The only time that I was practically lifeless was when I wasn't with you. The worst pain I could ever feel would be if I knew you were gone, so you must promise me something. No matter whether I die now, or a hundred years from now, you are not to hurt yourself in any way after it happens. That is something I could never forgive you for doing. If you even think about going to the Volturi again it would break my heart. Just remember that I'm always with you, no matter what. I'll be here forever._

_Love always and forever,_

_Isabella Marie Swan_

It was her handwriting. I would know it anywhere. I couldn't deny Bella her last wishes. Not even I am that selfish. For all the pain that I caused her, though I deserved to die, I couldn't. I didn't want to put her in any more pain than what I had already. I knew that she still loved me, and that'd have to be enough. It would be the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. Even harder than when I left her all those months ago, but I had to do it. For it was what she wished, and what she wished was my command. I would do anything for her. Always. But, first things first. I looked everywhere around me searching for a pen. I found one at last next to the autopsy report on the metal table. I picked it up in my shaking hand, set down the paper and corrected the letter from my love. The ending two lines now read:

_Love always and forever,_

_Isabella Marie__ Cullen_

She was mine whether we had made it official or not. I didn't deserve her, but we belonged together. She was a part of me and always would be. I read her letter again and again and finally just let go. My knees buckled underneath me, and I leaned over, my hands pressed against the marble floors. The hole in my chest ripped open again, as it would for the rest of my life any time I thought of her. Dry sobs kept coming and coming. I felt that the world was ending, and I was the cause. Soon enough I felt Alice kneel beside me and put her arm around my shoulder. She pulled me to my feet and helped me to the car. I didn't know what to do or say. I _should_ have been riding home with a smile on my face, because everything should've been perfect, but it wasn't. I _should_ be with Bella in two days, but I won't be. I _should_ be happy, but I'm not. I wasn't blessed with the power of seeing the future, but I could see mine and it was me living one sad, pathetic, and miserable life. I know Bella wasn't trying to torture me by keeping me alive, but it felt like it. I guess I was being punished by not getting out so easily, by not being able to die. And it wasn't because I was indestructible, but because I made a promise even before I had known it. Anything on that paper that she would have wanted me to promise would have been fulfilled.

**Three Years Later [2008**

We had been gone from that place for three years now. It didn't matter, didn't help the fact that that was where it all started. I still thought about her every day. I was still in such an immense amount of pain that I could hardly stand it. Carlisle thought that moving to Denali would help. All it did was give me more time to sit around, sulk, and think about what I'd done. It gave me more time to be alone and miserable. But anywhere we would have gone would have done that. I needed to get out of here. Do something useful. I needed to do something that would make me forget the pain, if only for the time being. I got off of the soft down comforter that lay over the bed in one of the many guest rooms of Carmen and Eleazer's home. Walking down the stairs I passed by Kate and Irina on their way up. They waved at me and put smiles on their faces, but my returning gestures weren't nearly as genuine. A look of pity crossed Kate's face, and I could hear Irina in her head. _The poor dear. I wish there was something we could do._

But there was nothing anyone could do. Nothing.

I went into the living room where Emmett and Rose where watching a movie together. Emmett was thinking about Rosalie, while she was thinking about how romantic the guy in the movie was towards the heroine. All of it just made me think of Bella. I went into another room. I found Carlisle in the study and went to sit down in front of the desk he was at.

"Edward. What a pleasant surprise. What can I do you for?" he said in a jolly tone. His happiness was killing me inside. Carlisle had learned to block his thoughts from me a long time ago, so at least I wouldn't have to deal with any of that.

"I need to do something to get my mind off things. I can't take it anymore," I shook my head, frustrated.

"Well, I wish there was something I could do to help, but only you can know what you need to do, son." There he went again with those confusing little, non-helpful tidbits of information. He should have been a psychiatrist, not a surgeon. Sometimes I just wish he'd give me a straight answer.

I didn't respond. I just got up and moved on. How was I supposed to know what I was supposed to do? If I could figure it out on my own I would have done so by now and found a way to cope with life. I remembered something from long ago that got me thinking.

_The Meadow [2005_

_"Can I show you something?" I asked her, excitement flaring in my eyes._

_"Show me what?"_

_"I'll show you how _I_ travel in the forest." Her expression was hesitant and more than a little frightened, "Don't worry, you'll be very safe, and we'll get to your truck much faster." I smiled at her reassuringly._

_"Will you turn into a bat?" she asked warily._

_I laughed uncontrollably and had to work to make myself stop "Like I haven't heard _that_ one before!" I could not believe she just asked me that question._

_"Right, I'm sure you get that all the time," she said sarcastically._

_"Come on, little coward, climb on my back."_

_She stood there, staring at me. I smiled at her and reached down to pull her up. I could hear her heartbeat jump, but I ignored it and continued to swing her onto my back. When in place, she clamped her arms and legs so tightly around me that it would have choked a normal human._

_"I'm a bit heavier than your average backpack," she warned. I just had to laugh._

_"Hah!" she had to be kidding. I could lift a three ton car with ease. Compared with that, it was like picking up a feather._

_I went on a sudden impulse and grabbed her palm, pressed it against my cheek, and inhaled. "Easier all the time," I muttered so low that I wasn't sure if she heard._

_And then I ran. I ran so fast that I could feel her grip on me tighten. I was streaking through the trees like they were nothing but easily avoided obstacles in my path, which they were. There was no trace of where my feet hit the ground, no sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet. I felt so alive. Running had always been a way to lose myself. It was the past time I enjoyed most. We were back to the truck in minutes. There was nothing more exhilarating…_

**Present Day [2008**

Running. I hadn't even thought about it before. I used to run for miles and miles every day. It always used to take my mind off things, always used to help me forget…

I made my way to the front door, past a surprised Esme.

"Edward? Where are you going?" she asked, alarmed.

"Running. I need to forget some stuff," was all I said before I made it out the front door. Alice was just getting out of my Volvo. She'd been using it lately since I hadn't exactly been going anywhere. She smiled at me a knowing smile, and this time I smiled back. She had a look in her eye that made me think that she knew more than just where I was going, but I didn't give it another thought. I took off for the forest and didn't look back.

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I had been going for hours. Not stopping. Not thinking. But then the smell of human blood crossed my nose. I followed the scent for about a mile and a half up a bike trail. I smelt it coming from the bottom of a steep hill, so I ran all the way down until I came upon the source. It was a young guy. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. He must've run off the trail, because his wrecked bike was laying not five feet away from his mangled body. He was at the base of the tree that must've stopped him from continuing to roll the rest of the way down the hill. I held my breath and walked over to check for a pulse. I found it not two seconds later, and knew that he was alive. Barely. I picked him up and ran him within two miles of the house and sat him down. He became conscious and gazed up at me confusedly.

"Where am I? What's going on?" he asked me.

"I'll be right back. Just hang in there, okay?" He nodded his head weakly and closed his eyes. He was breathing shallowly, but at least he _was_ breathing.

I ran from there as fast as I could and burst through the front door.

"Anyone who's in the house come to the living room, now," I ordered. Within seconds everyone was in front of me.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

"I found a guy in the woods that had crashed his bike and ran off a pretty steep hill. He's in pretty bad condition. I need Carlisle's help," I turned to Carlisle, "Do you want me to bring him here, or do you want me to show you where he is?"

"Point me in the right direction."

I took him to where I had left the guy, and Carlisle took out his tool and got right to work. He shook his head and looked at me.

"He's not going to make it, Edward."

"You have to do something," I yelled at him. Not another person was going to die in my presence. The kid groaned and opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" he said again.

"You're in the middle of the woods. You wrecked your bike, and Edward here found you. You're in pretty condition. It doesn't look too good. I'm sorry."

"I don't want to die," he cried.

"Well…there's another option…"

"I'll do anything! Just don't let me die!" he interrupted.

Carlisle then explained to him what option number two was. The kid looked kind of freaked, but he said he didn't care. Carlisle then told me to go back to the house and warn the others the he'd be coming. I did just that as soon as I got back to the house.

"Carlisle's going to change him," I told everyone, but they didn't look surprised. I looked over at Alice and she just smiled, "Okay, so I guess you already know the story."

Just then I smelt the blood. "Here he comes. Hold your breath."

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For the next three days, we all had to live through the screaming and the thrashing of the boy's pain. His head was screaming, so I just shut it out. It was around three in the afternoon on day three when his heart stopped. The screaming, the shouting, the thrashing, and the twisting all stopped with it. He woke up with no memory of what had happened to him before I'd saved him. His name was Ryan Trace and he was eighteen years old.

Alice, Jasper, and I showed him the ropes. He was a particularly fast learner. He wasn't exactly _immune_ to the smell of human blood, but it really didn't bother him that much. About two months after he was changed we found his power.

We were in the middle of hunting when we came across a huge herd of moose. They were in an open field, so there was exactly a chance for us to sneak up on them. We'd just have to run fast, and hit them hard. I looked over at Ryan to see if he was ready, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I moved towards Alice to see what she knew.

"Where's Ryan?" I whispered so low as to not make an audible sound.

"He was just right there," she shrugged.

"Uh, guys, I'm right here." We turned to where his voice came from, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where?" Alice asked. We were still looking in the direction from which he called. Slowly we started to see a figure form.

"Right here."

"I think we just found your power," Alice said excitedly, "After we eat we can go tell Carlisle!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked confusedly.

"Uh, well, the fact that you just turned invisible maybe…" I said.

**Author's Note:** Chapter two! Woo Hoo! Yeah. I hoped you guys liked it! Don't forget to send me lots of reviews! They make me happy. And when I'm happy, I write better chapters…So, yeah. Reviews for Love. XD


	3. Chapter Three: Moving On

Disclaimer/AN: WARNING

**Okay. I changed a few things in chapter one, so go back and read it before you read any further. Please and thank you.**

**Disclaimer/AN: **WARNING! Okay, well not really, but…I just wanted to let you know that I, Amber, will be a main character in this story, but I'm most definitely changing my last name, because I hate it. Yup. I know, I know. Shame on me, but I promise that it's not what you're thinking. I just wanted to clear that up before I got reviews saying 'What's wrong with you, stupid?! You can't take Bella's place! You're most definitely not worthy.' because, trust me, I know, and I also know that that would never happen. Ever. Unfortunately. But that's not my role in this story. Even though it might kinda sorta look like it in this chapter…and maybe the next…XD Yeahh. And the character will only be like _me_ in the fact that we will have the same name and I picture her LOOKING like me, lol. Oh, and any teachers used in this story may be real teachers, but the personality of these named teachers are most likely of no real status. So, now for the disclaimer part of this rant: I, unfortunately, hold no rights to this story, and do not own any of this writing. Even though this is my own personal idea, it's not technically mine seeing as most of these characters are the property of, what I believe to be, one of the awesomest writers in the world: Stephenie Meyer. Thank you and happy reading. **Oh, yeah, and I just wanted to apologize, cause I completely neglected this story and You Catch on Quick. I haven't updated in forever, and I know, I suck. I just really wanted to catch up on the Eclipse Quote of the Day stories. Now that I'm all caught up I'll have **_**much**_** more time to write for my actual stories! Yay! Now you may continue…**

**Chapter Three: Moving On**

**Late September 2008**

Alice hasn't shown me any of her visions lately. Her mind has been blocked off and quiet. Not that I was in any way mentally capable of caring that much anyways. I still couldn't pull myself out of that depression that I had been in since Bella. I missed her more than anything else in the entire world, and I felt like forgetting or being happy would make it seem like I don't miss her at all. That most definitely was not the case. I couldn't think of a way to compromise between misery and happiness. I was walking down the hall when I passed Carlisle's office and heard talking.

"—to a small town in Georgia," I heard Alice say.

"Georgia? Don't you think it's a little too sunny there?" Carlisle questioned.

"We'll only be there November through February, and they're going to be getting a lot of precipitation during those winter months. It'll be raining most of the time, but there'll be some snow," I heard the smile in her voice, "I know how that'll remind everyone of here."

"What'd you say your vision was about again?" I tried to lift the vision straight from her mind, but it was blocked off like always.

"I told you: I can't give you guys all the details unless there is a life-threatening problem. Those are my conditions. When something happens that doesn't threaten anyone's life, then I have to let you choose your own paths."

"What's the name of this place?"

"The town is Lawrenceville. The house is very large. It lies behind I very wealthy neighborhood called Sugarloaf Country Club. There is a lot of undeveloped land behind our house, and you'll probably want to buy it all. There's a lot of construction there, but, like I said: November through February."

"That sounds fine, I guess. I know we need to go _somewhere_. People are getting suspicious…"

We were moving to _Georgia_? Huh. That's kind of odd. I guess there's something important there for us. I wonder what it could be…

I was pulled away from my thoughts as I heard the door opening. I continued walking down the hall like I hadn't heard a thing.

"Edward?" I heard Carlisle say from behind me.

"Yes?" I responded.

"Can you please go to the living room and wait for me there while I get the rest of the family together?"

"Sure." I knew what was coming. He was going to tell us that we were leaving. I waited in the living room for about a minute before the started piling in. Rose, Emmett, Ryan, Alice, Jasper, Carmen, Eleazer, Carlisle, Esme, and then Tanya, Kate, and Irina. They all filed in and sat down, waiting patiently.

"I need to tell you all something," Carlisle began, "The Cullen family will be moving to a small town in Georgia by the name of Lawrenceville," There were a bunch of confused faces, "We will only be staying there for four months. There is something there that we are destined to encounter, but I'm not sure exactly what it is," he shot a look at Alice before continuing, "There will be an unusual amount of cloud coverage the months of November through February, so that is when we will be going. For the next couple of weeks I will be taking care of the arrangements. The last week of October we will be moving." He waited for it all to soak in. I wasn't surprised, and I couldn't care less.

No one argued or disagreed. We knew that we needed to leave, and we had never lived in Georgia before. It would be something completely new. The Denali coven was sad to see us go, but they knew it was for the best.

We spent the next couple of hours packing the things we wanted to take. It wasn't that much stuff. We only brought the things we liked most, because we just ended up getting new stuff when we moved. Everyone was packed and ready to go.

It took about a week or so for Carlisle to get the sellers to accept the deal on all of that land and the house, but they eventually did. It took another three weeks for the sales to close and finalize. By October twenty-eighth everything was ready. We left the next night. Alice, Jasper, and I took the Volvo, Carlisle, Ryan, and Esme took the Mercedes, and Rosalie and Emmett took the Jeep. It took only a little under three days to get there. We made it there just as the sun was setting behind the dark clouds in the sky on the first day of November.

The house was nice. It was three stories plus a basement, attic, and rooftop patio. It was a colonial style house with lots of vegetation around it. The house had five bedrooms, (not that we needed any of the following, but) six bathrooms and a gigantic kitchen/dining room area. The basement area was an indoor heated pool with a waterslide and diving board. There was a creek that ran through the woods in the back of the house, a large, four car garage, and plenty of privacy. It was way more space than any _normal_ family needed, but it was just enough room for all of us.

It took about twenty minutes to do all the unpacking. I soon had my CDs stacked in alphabetical order in the floor near the door. When we had finished unloading all of the things that we brought with us it was then time to go and shop for the things that we needed to decorate. And by "we" I mean Esme and Alice. They were going to get the new furniture (and the shelf that I needed for my immense CD collection). I just went up to my room and decided to mope a little. I had brought my black leather couch with me, so I laid down on it to try and relax. It didn't work. All it made me do was think about Bella, about the first time she met my family and all the other times we spent together on this couch. I felt the hole rip open again. I sat up, grabbed my torso, and hunched over to endear the pain.

I had made the mistake of leaving my door open. Ryan walked past to get to his room, and saw me in mine.

"Eddy?" I hated when he called me that, but he said that it made him uncomfortable to call me Edward, "Are you okay, dude?"

"I'm fine, _dude,_" I usually had no problem with Ryan and his twenty-first century lingo, but, right now, I was not in the mood for much of anything.

"You don't look fine," he argued. Did he not get that I wanted to be left alone? What was _wrong_ with him?

"Look, I'm fine, okay?" I snapped.

"Fine, fine," he put up his hands in defense, "I was just trying to help you out."

"Well I don't need your help right now," I said in a kinder tone. I knew that he wasn't trying to get on my nerves purposely, "I just need to be left alone."

He nodded his head and walked into his room. I heard his door close and his music begin to blare. That was one thing we had in common. Ryan loved music as much as I did. I followed suit and closed my door as well. I knew that everyone else knew not to bother me while I was wallowing in my pain, but I still didn't want to take any chances. I needed to be alone. The unbearable pain felt like it would kill me. Yeah, right. I could only wish. I suffered for about another hour and the pain somewhat subsided.

I needed to hunt. It had been over a week since I had last fed, and we would be starting our new school on Monday.

--

"Let's go, Edward!" Alice said from the bottom of the stairs. She may be aching to go, but I certainly was not. I had been up in my room listening to music for the past hour. I was already ready to go, but I didn't want to. It was a good thing that vampires didn't need sleep, because Peachtree Ridge High School started at the ungodly hour of seven fifteen A.M. It was already seven, but we lived so close and drove so fast that we'd make it there in less than three minutes. I reluctantly got up and walked down the stairs.

"I'm coming, Alice," I soothed her.

"We've been ready for more than half an hour. We wanted to get there early, but no. You just _had_ to take your time," she scolded me.

"No, Alice, the only one who wanted to get there early would be you," Ryan stated. Everyone laughed; even I gave a small chuckle. Alice just glared.

"Either way," she folded her arms, "It's time to go."

Alice, Jasper, and I took the Volvo while Ryan, Rose, and Emmett took the BMW. I was kind of worried that it would stand out until I actually got to the school. There were flashy cars left and right: Hummers, Porches, BMWs, and Mustangs were everywhere. There were _very _few older model cars there.

I found the two parking spots that we had reserved the week before, and we parked. Here you had to, in a way, rent your parking spot. We almost didn't get spots, because there were only two left. We had to work fast. Apparently there was a waiting list, but that means nothing when you have ways of persuasion.

We walked down the parking lot together and several people stared. That was expected, though. As we made our way past the bus lanes and through the front doors I took in the school around us. It was humongous compared to our schools in Alaska and even…Forks. I shook off the memories. I couldn't afford this, not on the first day of school.

I focused back on the school. The cafeteria, or the commons, area was about half the size of our entire last school alone. The school had three stories, two gyms, and a ridiculously large back yard. These people must be way into sports, because they had two football fields, a baseball field, a softball field, two tennis courts, and a large building apart from the school for all of the players. I was impressed.

We got even more stares as we went to the front office to retrieve our schedules. I looked over my classes. I could get used to this. There were only four classes in a day. They called it block scheduling, and I called it heaven. I listened to the other's thoughts to see if I had any classes with them. I had first period French and fourth period Intro to Health and Fitness with Ryan, and third period AP Physics B with Alice. I was on my own for World Lit. Everyone said their goodbyes and scattered off in their own directions. Ryan and I headed for the closest staircase.

About halfway up the second flight I caught a scent that almost knocked me over. It was _her_ scent, Bella's, but it was so far away. _It was just my mind playing tricks on me_, I told myself, _It couldn't be Bella…Bella's dead_. The scent vanished. I could feel the pain coming. I stopped mid stair and noticed a girl walking backward toward the staircase. She turned right as she came upon the first step, and tripped right as she stepped to the third. I wasn't just going to let her fall, so I did what any normal person would do: I caught her.

This sent the girl in to a mad giggle fit. I couldn't understand why she was doing this until I saw her cheeks turn the color of deep scarlet. She was trying to laugh off her embarrassment.

"Thank you," she said between giggles, "I am _so _sorry."

"It's okay," I assured her, "You know, you should be more careful when you're walking down stairs."

"It's these left feet," she exclaimed, "I got two of 'em!"

It was then that I took in her appearance. She was about 5'4" with shoulder length, dark brown hair that had dark red and light brown highlights, and she was wearing a grey tank top, black zip up hoodie, purple, black, and grey plaid skirt, black leggings, and black and white checkered converse. She had a pale complexion with deep, wide chocolate eyes. The eyes were so much like my Bella's that I couldn't take it anymore. I sat her down and walked to join Ryan a couple of steps above me.

"Hey, wait! Are you new here?"

"Yeah. Just moved here a couple of days ago," Ryan told her.

Her friends had already walked to the bottom of the two flights and were waiting on her, but she just kept going. "Really? Are you juniors or seniors?"

"Juniors," I told her. I made sure not to look directly at her.

"Me, too. What class do you have right now?"

"French," I said.

"With Mrs. Mollard," Ryan finished.

"Madame," the girl said.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"If you don't call her _Madame_ Mollard she'll bite your head off."

We both just kind of gave her a quizzical look.

"I have her first period, too," she laughed. We understood then. The girl walked back up the stairs to where Ryan and I were standing, held out her hand, and introduced herself, "I'm Amber."

Ryan was the first to respond. He grabbed her hand with his and did all the talking, "I'm Ryan Trace, and this is my brother Edward Cullen." I gave her a wave.

"If you're his brother why don't you have the same last name?" she asked me.

"Well, my siblings and I are all adopted," I explained.

"Sibling_s_? As in there are more of you?" Ryan and I both laughed and nodded.

"C'mon Amber! We don't have time for this. We've got to go!" the other girls called from the bottom of the staircase.

"Oh, crap," she muttered, "Oh!"

We both looked at her and Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"This is great! Will you guys do me a favor?"

Ryan and I exchanged a look. "Maybe…"

"My friends and I," she gestured downward, "sit in the back in Mollard's class, and there are these evil preppy girls that keep trying to take our seats. Now, they aren't here yet, but they will be soon. Will you go save three seats for us in the back? You can sit back there too if you want." She was begging with those big brown eyes.

"Of course," Ryan said. One look at him would tell you that he'd do anything after seeing that look.

"Good," she smiled, and then turned to me, "Thanks again."

"Don't worry about it."

We went on to class to save the girls their seats. Just then, three girls walked in and you could just tell that they were the ones Amber had been talking about. The one that looked to be the ring leader took one look at Ryan and me and got an evil smirk on her face. The girls came over and tried to sit down.

"Hi, I'm Ginger. Are these seats taken?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, they are. Sorry," Ryan said defensively.

"Well, I don't see anyone sitting here," she argued. Amber and her friends walked in and took all the remaining seats. Ginger looked at us and Ryan smiled so wide that you could see all of his teeth.

"Thanks, guys," Amber said.

"No problem," Ryan and I said at the same time.

Ginger and her clones glared as they took their seats in the front.


	4. Chapter Four: Flirting With Disaster

**Author's Note: **OMG!! I'm updating! This is amazing :) I really am sorry for not updating in FOREVER. It's because of school hint hint (it's evil) but yeahh.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, hold no rights to this wonderful story, but I _do_ however own the hopeful thoughts in my head. Yup, they're all mine :)

**Chapter Four: Flirting With Disaster**

The excruciatingly long French class was finally over. I'd have to say that that is by far the worst part of block scheduling. The classes are _twice as long_ as normal classes in an eight-class-a-day school. I looked over at Ryan who looked like a zombie. This was his first time retaking school. He had graduated the year before, and I could tell that he was _not _excited to be back. Well, he was almost not excited.

As the bell rang, he gathered his things a little too quickly and waited next to Amber's desk.

"So, Amber…Hi," he sputtered.

She just giggled. "So, Ryan…Hello." Her wide brown eyes were mocking me. I knew it wasn't her fault, but I just couldn't take it anymore. She just reminded me too much of Bella. I had to wait outside for Ryan. I couldn't watch him flirt with her anymore.

I stood outside the classroom door, immediately blocking the thoughts of the people around me. They were more or less the same. All of the guys were thinking about "beating me up" for being a "pretty boy". That made me laugh bitterly. As if they could really cause any damage to _me_. All of the girls around me weren't forming many coherent thoughts at all. All I would catch were statements such as, "_He…me…SO HOT!_"

I couldn't bear to listen to anymore of the ridiculous banter of these high-schoolers. I was concentrating so hard on blocking them out that I didn't even realize the fast approach of one of said high-school girls.

"Why, hello there. I'm Shay," she winked at me. I did nothing more than glare up at her. She had made me loose concentration, so hoards of thoughts rushed in to attack me, including hers.

_Oh, we are gunna make the _perfect_ couple! He is so into me. Well, it's not his fault really. I can't help it that I'm perfect…_

Her babbling continued in this way the entire time I glared at her. She didn't even process the fact that she was to me as an annoying bug was to my windshield. I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed off in the direction of the staircase.

"Edward! Hey, Edward!" Ryan shouted. I slowed down a bit to let him catch up.

"Dude, what the hell?" He began, "One minute I'm standing there, talking to the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in the entire world, getting us all invited to her party this Saturday, and the next you bolt out of there like you're about to get sick! What happened?" I noticed immediately when his face softened. "Oh…I know that look…What was it that reminded you of her this time?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I began walking down the stairs, towards my next class.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Ryan followed, "and when you want to talk about it, about _her_, I'm here. I know you don't want to. I know it hurts, but talking about it _will_ help."

"You don't know _anything_," I spat.

I sped off to World Lit cursing Ryan all the way. Who was he to tell me what will help? _He doesn't know me, and he doesn't—_didn't_—know my Bella, _I thought angrily. I could feel the hole inside burst open. I couldn't go into class like that, so I did something I never thought I would stoop to—I hid out in the bathroom.

I sat there, wallowing in my own grief and self-pity, when I suddenly felt as though I could somewhat breathe again. I still had about two minutes to get to class, and I knew that I could easily make it half way across the school in less time than that. I was at the door to the class room not ten seconds later. Thankfully the hallway was empty. Well, at least I _thought _it was empty…

"Hey, Cullen. Didn't see you there," came a voice I semi-recognized. I turned a little too quickly to find a confused Amber just behind me. I reached into her thoughts to find if she thought anything strange was up.

_Wow, I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings. At least I saved my self from falling on the poor guy again…_, she thought mildly. I didn't think she knew anything, so I quickly shut out her thoughts.

"So, um, can I get by you…I really need to get to class before the bell rings," she asked awkwardly, for I had been staring blankly as I was listening to her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, of course! I apologize. I didn't mean to keep you," I recovered. I turned to the door and walked in. The message on the board up front said to sit wherever for now. I chose a seat in the far back corner. Instead of Amber going to sit by anyone else, she followed me and set her stuff in the desk next to mine. I started to ask, but then saw her looking around like there was no one she knew. I honestly wasn't in the mood to talk.

Fortunately she wasn't either. She just sat there staring up front, occasionally looking around the room at the other students. I realized that I had been watching her and decided to take a look around myself. I grimaced when I found most of the girls in the room either glancing in my direction frequently or blatantly staring. I just turned around in my seat. Finally the bell sounded and the teacher made her way to the front of the room.

"Good morning class. I'm Ms. Caldwell, and I'll be teaching this period."

The rest of the class droned on, and I zoned out. I had been through this and just about every other class at least fifty times. There really was no need to take any part in this, but we had to keep up appearances. I decided to bide my time by looking into the thoughts of those around me.

_I wonder what's for lunch, _thought a chubby boy sitting in the middle of the room.

_Should I go out with Danny or _Garret_ this weekend…hmmm, Danny is REALLY cute, BUT Garret has a _great_ car…Garret it is!, _debated a Barbie-clone sitting by the door.

_What's the point of this?,_ thought Amber. At first I just thought she was referring to this ridiculous class, but then I heard something I wish I didn't. _I have no real friends, my family hates me, and there's nothing special about me. I can't do this anymore. Ugh, and lunch is going to suck. I have no one to sit with. Here's to the start of a _great_ year! _

I looked over to see her diligently taking notes on what the teacher was saying. She hid what she was feeling well…and that scared me.

When class was over I got up to leave slower than I would have normally. I waited for Amber to pick up her things and then followed her out.

"Hey, Amber?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to sit with my family at lunch today?"

"I have A lunch…," she said uncertainly.

"Yes, well so do my family and I."

"Your whole family has the same lunch? And to think not one of my friends has the same lunch as me. Ridiculous!" She shook her head, but laughed a bit. I couldn't help feeling a little better for putting her in a somewhat happier mood.

We walked towards the commons in a comfortable silence. I caught sight of Rosalie and Alice in line for the Garden Spot. Jasper was in line for pizza. Emmett and Ryan were in line for Traditional.

"Amber! Over here!" Ryan shouted half-way across the room. And let me tell you, this was a BIG room. Half of the commons population turned in his direction. I could tell Amber's mood brightened fifty times more than when I invited her to lunch.

She made her way over to him and I followed quietly behind. After we got our food we walked outside to the only small tables in the entire place. Alice and Emmett seemed to take to Amber right away. Rosalie was her usual indifference, and Jasper's opinion mirrored Alice's; anything that made her happy made him happy.

"So, Amber, I hear you're having a party! You just _have_ to let me take you shopping. I have the perfect outfit for you in my head!" Alice practically squealed.

"Um, okay…"

"Uh oh, you really shouldn't have done that," Ryan shook his head in mock horror.

"It's just shopping. I mean a couple of hours buying clothes should be rather painless," she began. As the sentence escaped her mouth, the look on Ryan's face made her doubt herself. "…right?"

"You guys! Stop! You're scaring her!" Alice demanded.

"Well, if you're going to torture her with one of you shopping trips, she might as well know what she's getting into," Ryan teased Alice.

"And what, exactly, _am_ I getting into?" Amber asked nervously.

Emmett and Ryan just looked at her solemnly.

"Remember what you were saying about a couple hours of harmless shopping?" Emmett asked.

"Yes," she said guardedly.

"Well," Ryan picked up, "Let's just multiply that number by at _least_ five."

"What?" Her face was blank of all emotion. It was almost comical.

Ryan put his arm around her shoulders in a comforting motion. She jumped a little and looked confused. Ryan looked confused, too, but then remembered that his skin was cold as ice. He removed his arm and his face gathered a look of sadness. The table grew silent for a moment, all but Amber holding their breath. She finally looked at him and tilted her head to the side. She reached her hand and placed it on his arm.

"You're cold," she stated, wrinkling her brow.

"Uh, yeah, it's pretty chilly in here." Ryan said trying to back-pedal.

"Yeah, I guess."

It was I that broke the quiet that fell after.

"The bell rang." I know, not exactly life-changing, but it would do. Amber seemed to break from her reverie and look around to see the mostly-empty lunchroom.

"What class do you have next," Ryan asked eagerly.

"One Act. It's this competition theatre class—,"

"Oh, I know. I have that next, too. The only theatre at my old school was after school. When we started here I was surprised to find so many theatre classes. I didn't know which to choose, so I just kind of randomly chose this one," he smiled goofily.

"Well, I'm glad you did," she said and quickly looked away. I looked into her thoughts to see if she was any better from this morning.

_Wow, he has the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen. Every time I look at him I just get lost in them…_

I quickly disentangled myself from her thoughts. She wasn't thinking the way she was thinking earlier anymore, and that was all that I needed to know. I left them and headed to AP Physics with Alice.

"Edward," Alice brought me out of my thoughts, "They love each other."

"What do you know, Alice?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She was grinning, and I did not like the look of it.

Alice blocked her thoughts from me as we sat through class. I was starting to get nervous. I mean sure, Alice has been blocking her thoughts from me a lot lately, but never this blatantly.

Class ended and she skipped off in the direction of her next class. I just shook my head. I had a feeling that whatever she was hiding was not something good. Well, at least not very_ convenient_. I made my way down into the basement level of the school for P.E. and was soon joined by Ryan.

"How is this going to work, Edward?" Ryan asked nervously. "How can we do any kind of contact sports without hurting somebody?"

"Don't worry, Ryan. This is why we've been practicing all of that strength control. But if you don't feel like you're ready, then don't take any chances. We can't afford any mistakes." _Especially if you want to stay anywhere near your little girlfriend, _I thought bitterly.

I couldn't begin to express my jealousy that he was getting his chance at love when I wasn't even allowed to keep my Bella. _Hmm, maybe if I just shove someone just a little too hard…_, I thought. But no, I couldn't do that to Ryan. Just because my chances of happiness were ripped away from me didn't mean I should ruin someone else's chance of happiness. The bigger part of me was thinking this, thinking that I couldn't make anyone go through what I've been going through because I know how it feels to want to die. But then there was the other part of me that wanted everyone else to suffer, too. It should only be fair. Hurting someone so that we had to leave wouldn't be fair for Ryan.

The day ended and we all met back up at the Jeep and Volvo. I was just getting into the driver's seat when I caught that unmistakable scent: _my Bella_. And then I caught another scent that I couldn't believe. There was a werewolf somewhere around here.


End file.
